Ultramarine
by Limit Removal
Summary: In the dark ages of Abyssal Fleet's emergence, a small hope presented itself in an island that should not be there. In the wake of failure a simple man was chosen to lead humanity's campaign to take back the blue seas. Little did he knew that alongside the mysterious Fleet Girls, his fight would carry on beyond the sea they knew.
1. Turbulence

**Chapter 1: Turbulence**

Staring off into the sea is often considered a symbolic act. Contemplation, Zen, loneliness. The idea of a surface so vast, covered uniformly by a single color, brings into mind those terms. It was natural for any person, who are born in a world so confined by ordinary objects, to feel detached when looking at a world with none. Same cannot be said, however, to the girl sitting at the end of a pier. Her back faced against a rocky beach, she stared off with expectations and worries of a mother waiting her son to sail home. The closest word, for her particular case, would be 'expectations'.

A spotted cat was lying in slumber beside the girl, comfortably placing its belly on a puffy cotton hat with a stripe of greenish-blue, adorned with a small yellow-green chevron logo. The petite girl was wearing a similarly colored sailor uniform, the impatient kicks of her legs against the water betray the monotony of ocean's natural rhythms. The horizon was straight and clear, with the faintest trace of a landmass located a significant distance away. Sky above was likewise clear, the all-too-familiar afternoon sun placing itself slightly off to the south of the zenith. Despite that, the girl's mind found itself in a rather cloudy state.

"They sure are taking their time, Batsubyou." The girl said. The cat, barely reacting, only purred in response. The girl had always known that patience was not exactly her strong suit, yet for this particular occasion, or more precisely, errand, she made it a point to wait. "For me to make an appearance, the affairs at their end must've been pretty bad," sounding slightly dejected, the girl withdrew her legs from the water and stood, "be it eighty years ago or now, they're sloppy as always. Always a bit late to make their move, or to consider its consequences." She said, wearing the hat. "No wonder we lost." A bitter smile decorated her face as she spoke.

It was then that her kicking came to a sudden halt. A strong chill washed over her back, as if storm clouds have dropped their jolt right upon her. The scenery around her remained unchanging, but she knew that the time has come. As the shock wore off, her bitter smile had taken new, more palatable flavors.

The girl picked up the cat by its front legs, exposing its underbelly. The cat, apparently named Batsubyou, made no attempt to resist. "Well, complaining about it won't change a thing." She said. "Batsubyou, we have a duty to pass."

The cat let out a single meow, which was met with the girl's chuckle. A strong sense of confidence enveloped her mind as she walked off the pier, onto the water, still carrying the cat in her uniquely odd fashion. As her feet trod atop the gentle waves, she hummed the nostalgic melody of Gunkan March.

* * *

><p>A dose of heavy, muffled metallic sounds awakened the man. Wearing white suit and pants, prim and proper, he looked like the spitting image of an admiral. However, an inconsistency lies in the fact that the man was not, in fact, an admiral by any definition. 'A lowly crew of the navy', he'd put it. Employed as a support crew aboard <em>Kongou<em> on the expedition, and being the errand boy for some of his superiors bearing less-than-savory personalities, was a part of his life at sea. He came to his senses quickly, perceiving that he was sitting slouched on a chair, his cheek pressed on a cold, metallic table.

Compared to the scathing cold of the deep sea, the table was preferable. When he forced himself upright, he found that, to his surprise, there was no table. There was one, but if it was the one he had been resting his head upon, it was now half the room away from him. He had no time to express his confusion, for another subject had been granted greater precedence in his mind.

Occupying the other side of the table was a girl in a sailor uniform, a cat on her lap. Like a lone jewel lost to the sea, the emerald-blue color of her eyes made for a striking contrast with the dull grey of the room. She petted the brown tabby gently. The scene seemed inappropriately calm, given the situation.

_The situation._

The man felt a dull pain on his head. Now reminded of his situation before he somehow got here, his questions became so numerous that none successfully escaped his mouth. Unsettled, his feet began their constant tapping, his finger began seeking for something easy to grasp. The girl had definitely noticed the man's restlessness, as her face broke into a smile, a tinge of mockery ever so slightly felt from it. Giving up on panicking, the man gave himself some room to sort his thoughts out, before asking what he deemed as the most crucial and relevant question:

"Am I dead yet?" he asked the girl.

The girl let out a chuckle, "We're off to a great start." She said. "That's difficult to answer. If I have to say, you're still more alive than dead." The girl said, her eyes still fixated on the cat. "Right now, you're like a certain infamous cat." She picked up the cat, Batsubyou, again by its front legs, and placed it on the metallic table. "Depending on the situation, it can be alive or dead, but on a special occasion involving poison and radioactivity, it is both dead and alive, you see?" she said.

The man's eyebrow almost winced painfully from her analogy, which the girl definitely made in advance. She was not taking him seriously. Mustering all of his ignorance, he replied, "Well, that's not a good thing." to which the girl only smiled. The cat seemed to grow restless under the man's stare, as it jumped off the table and began walking around the room. "Who are you?" he asked.

The girl sighed, "It's always the difficult questions that gets asked." she said. She then twirled a strand of her hair with her finger, "Let's see… my existence is kind of like a mistake, or a response to one. Going by that, I guess you can call me 'Error'." The girl said, seemingly unfazed by how odd a nickname that was. "By the way, the cat's name is Batsubyou." She added.

The man wondered how the girl could so easily say the cat's name when she was vague about her own.

The girl corrected her relaxed stance, "This is getting a bit dragged out, since I've been left waiting long enough for you to wake up. It'll be problematic if our chat got interrupted." She said. "Right. Getting into the point, how would you react if I say that you're the only survivor?"

"…Am I, really?"

"Well, no. Like I said, you're kind of alive right now, but the chance of you turning up dead is quite high, as well. Should I explain it again?" The man couldn't resist wincing this time, to the girl's slight dismay. Still, her attempt to change the topic was quite successful. "Either way, I saw the fleet you were part of. It appears there are some problems dealing with the Abyssal Fleet." Error said.

"Now that's an understatement." The man said. "Coastal Japan's a wreck because of them. What are they, really?"

Error placed her arm on the table and leaned forward, "Abyssal cannons tore through that small boat of yours like paper, which quickly capsized and sank. During the process you hit your head somewhere, and now you're here, thinking that you must've gone mad to have a chat with a girl and a cat inside some weird steel chamber. That's your situation. At this point, does it make a difference, what they are?"

"…No." The main said weakly. The strong-hued irises of Error was intimidating when used to glare at someone, and she made no attempt to hide the fact that she could use them well. Although he had some reservations about this girl calling a JMSDF missile destroyer a 'small boat', he found himself readily accepting the surreal situation he was in right now. Taking the girl's silence as the cue for another question, "So, why am I having this conversation?" he asked, to cover for his lack of better questions.

The girl seemed to catch on, "Alright. Here comes the meat of the matter. The purpose of me being here. I'm offering you a chance to turn it around." Error said, her expression taking on a hint of seriousness. The cat meowed, then she made a throat clearing sound, "That's too good a deal. I mean, I'm offering you the responsibility to turn it around. To become the admiral, leading a campaign to win the war against the Abyssal Fleet."

The man took seconds to process what she said.

It was first a smirk, then a chuckle, then he laughed openly. Throughout the process, the girl did not react, "I've gone mad, indeed, and quite a long time ago, to boot! Become admiral? Win the war? Stuff of dreams, those are, when I can't even recall a single time the fleet has successfully sunk an Abyssal ship. To think I signed up for this. The higher-ups even called it a 'high-risk operation'." he said. His tone became severe, "which is quite likely an alternative term for 'suicide'. You better have some sort evidence to make this 'offer' of yours feasible. Numbers, speed, firepower; they're overwhelming us. This is a hopeless war we're fighting."

Error sighed, "Although it's preferable if you stay sane throughout this, I wouldn't disagree that the situation is maddening," she said, "I'm certain quite a few of your comrades had given up hope a long time ago. But not you. You shouldn't say that. It reflects badly on your grandfather." She said, her gaze regaining its ferocity.

The man froze. His laugh long lost to cold air. He made a throat-clearing noise and corrected his stance, "What does my grandfather has to do with all this?" he said, "Do you know him?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that I 'know' him, but he's quite the man. He served at Yamato for a while, didn't he?"

The man made no reply. While he didn't know what exact role his grandfather took on when he was on duty, the man did recall that his grandfather was in the Imperial Navy back at World War II. Years ago, he'd often tell stories about the war, stories that sometimes fascinating, sometimes heart wrenching. He was a person who did not sugarcoat his words, or made light of the events transpired. The man harbored to him a great degree of respect, even before he became interested in the navy. The man pondered this fact for a while, before he spoke, "Alright, I'll be serious and assume that you, too, are serious. The last thing I remember before coming here is being underwater in a ship turned coffin. Then I'm here, and you want me to become an Admiral." He said, "I'm going to be back underwater if I decline, right?"

"Yes. But I still call this a choice. Because if you decline, you can rest feeling you've done your best, and that's all right. An end not too satisfying, but fitting nonetheless, should you take that choice." Error said, a degrading smirk on her face. "But it'll be quite different for matters at large. Just so you know, the Abyssal Fleet is currently limited to areas around Japan. Refusing means there will be no one to thwart the Abyssal Fleet. Didn't I say you're the only survivor?" She confirmed the fact, causing the man to wince, "It'll probably be ten years or more until I can offer this kind of deal again to someone else, and by then, the Abyssal Fleet would've spread across the world's oceans." Batsubyou jumped back onto her lap as she spoke. "But I assure you, it would be their problem and not yours."

"Well, a choice between life and death isn't a choice at all. What's with that 'rest feeling you've done your best'?" The man said, "Given the situation, isn't it obvious that I'm going to take the deal?"

"I figured you'd accept anyway. You're still a young man."

"Does that make you an old lady, then?"

With a loud bam, the man felt like he had been elbowed at the stomach. After the initial pain took off, he found that the table had been shifted back to its original position, or rather, shifted back a bit past that. As the man glared sharply at the only possible perpetrator, he was surprised to found that Error had disappeared from the room.

"That girl's a handful of trouble." The man said. He then noticed another change on the table. There was a hat, an admiral's peaked cap. Colored white with a dash of black, and a symbol of a golden Sakura petal on its front. 'Wear this to accept', those words were practically written all over the hat. "Oh, please. The symbolism makes me blush!" He spoke out loud, his voice loudly reflecting off the steel walls. He stood up from the chair and picked up the hat. Around the same time, a drop of water struck the metallic floor. Then two. Then three. The man looked upward, to find that the ceiling was slowly detaching itself from the rest of the room, and beyond that was, most likely, lots and lots of water.

"Give me a break." The man said as small rivulets of water formed on walls. His mind was more than slightly panicked, but no less made up. With little reason to hesitate, he put on the pristine white hat.

The ceiling disappeared completely, sending a violent torrent of water to fill the room. Along with the torrent, the man's consciousness disappeared.

* * *

><p>The journey to the shore was a poor swim.<p>

The man drew ragged breaths as he inspected himself, clad in the white suit and pants, his admiral's hat tucked safely on his belt. All three are drenched wet. After calming himself down, he mumbled, "That's enough salt for today." The early spring breeze became extremely chilling as a result. The man quickly took off his top to squeeze some water out of it. "Talk about a goddamn surreal experience. The least that girl should do is to put me on land." He said, surveying the rocky beach.

Far off, visible above the horizon is a faint projection of a landmass, which he quickly identified as one of the Izu Islands. Slightly relieved that he was not half a world away from his homeland, the man then inspected his closer surroundings. A tall, lonely palm tree was visible nearby. Some nondescript rock formations are visible to the side, while view inland was blocked by dense vegetation not entirely unlike a forest. Some distances away, a small wooden pier was visible, with a small ship docked on it. He couldn't make out the details of the ship from the distance, but it was a small one.

Without having the chance to sort his next steps, he noticed a swift movement behind the nearby rocks. There was no mistaking his eyes: that was a person hiding there. In fact, a child, judging from the size of the rock hiding the unknown observer. The man then dropped off drying his shirt, and proceeded to slowly sneak around the rock, slightly guarded. Just as he was within a step's distance, the figure popped out again for another peek, only this time, he'd be greeted with his face.

What followed was a high-pitched scream sending birds off their post.

"Wha-what, don't surprise me like that!" The girl said, panicked and red on the face. It was rather amusing to see how she tried to avert her eyes from the man's bare chest.

Naturally, the man was just as surprised to find a brown-haired, clad-in-sailor-uniform child peeking at him, although the chain of events left him unable to express it proper. The girl's eyes match the color of her hair, a badge of the roman number 'III' was tucked on her shirt, "What are you doing there?" he asked.

"I-I was told to bring you over to the ship." The girl said, looking away from the shirtless man. "But commander, please put your shirt on! It's embarrassing!" she shouted. Her blush was almost visible through her ears, to the point that the man guessed if he were to remain as he was, her face would soon turn into the color of a cooked lobster.

The man decided that being shirtless with a girl spouting such innocent lines (on an unknown island) might not be such a good idea, and proceeded to don back his still-wet white top. "So, who told you to bring me to the ship?" The man asked. His eyes rolled to the small ship docked at the pier along the coastline, before a likely suspect formed itself in his mind. "Never mind that, just tell me what is going on." he said.

The girl said, "Commander, can we walk as we talk?" she asked.

The man gave a slight nod, his mind pondering the circumstances he had found himself in. Why is a small girl here? Why is she calling him 'Commander'? Was it real? If it was, what was he in for? What of his comrades he sailed with until a while ago? The weight of his worries nearly had him tripping on sand a minute into the walk.

"Currently, we're on an island located around a hundred kilometers off Honshu, and around five kilometers east from the Izu Islands. The Abyssal Fleet has been spotted in waters around this island, so we should head North return to the Port of Yokosuka as soon as possible." The girl said.

The man nodded, this time with more apprehension than before. Having the immediate situation explained to him cleared some doubts he was currently having, despite creating new ones, such as how the ship he would soon board fare a hundred kilometers in Abyssal-infested waters, when a convoy of missile destroyers and armored transport ships got annihilated thirty kilometers in.

He must've been given the issue more thought than he himself expected, because when he realized he had arrived at the pier, and immediately got shouted at.

"You sure are taking your time, you no-good admiral!" Came the voice of a girl, standing upright on the ship's deck. Her two hands holding the forelegs of Batsubyou, she was unmistakably Error. "Why are you soaking wet, anyway? You shouldn't swim in Abyssal waters, you know? They might drag you down to the abyss, literally."

Having developed a resistance against her mocking tone, the man spent a brief moment before replying, "Never mind that. This old ship has about a snowball's chance in hell to travel all the way to Yokosuka unharmed." He said, "If you can spout those lines about the Abyssal you should know this. Any plans?"

Manning a know-it-all expression, Error spoke, "Simple. We'll have Inazuma sailing ahead, clearing the path while we follow behind. I've mapped out a straightforward route where we won't encounter the Abyssal fleet from any other direction but our front."

"Inazuma?" The man looked to his side and found the girl looking at him expectantly before looking back at Error, "You mean this girl?" he asked.

"Hmm? You haven't introduced yourself, Inazuma?" Error asked.

"N-Not yet. Sorry." Inazuma said in a low voice. She faced the admiral and made a slight bow, "I'm Inazuma, nice to meet you, commander." She said.

That's a weird name for a girl, the man thought. But that was among the least of matters he found wrong. He decided to flung some of his objections, "Hold it, how is she supposed to sail ahead when I see no other ship here. Besides, having this child man a ship all by herself is just plain wrong."

Error merely sneered, the glint in her eyes suggested she knew more than what she was letting on, "You saw wrong, then. Looks are deceiving, you know? Has the salt, of oceans and tears, burned the vision off your eyes?" she said.

His pride tickled, the man was about to commence a round of trading insults, until Error forced him, and (in a less forceful manner) Inazuma aboard the ship. Without much of a fuss other than the one coming from its own engine, the small ship, an antiquated, small multipurpose craft, set sail. It was headed straight off the shore, heading to the far-off island Inazuma pointed a hundred kilometers away.

The man found the experience really refreshing, despite having sailed in a similar fashion before. Of course, he could hardly express it given the Abyssal might just pop out any moment. Error's statements of reassurance didn't sound so convincing when the ship looked like it was stitched together from old parts. Inazuma stood still on the deck of the ship, looking out calmly at the sea. Beside her was several metallic implements he couldn't make heads or tails of, but they vaguely looked like they were made for her.

"So, Error, mind telling me what this whole 'admiral' thing is?"

"Well, you should have some idea of what you'd be doing. An admiral's an admiral. You command a naval fleet to fight the Abyssal fleet. That's the job description, layman's version." Error said, lazily sitting on the helm of the ship, occasionally tinkering with the wheel. "Don't ask more just yet." She interrupted the man's upcoming question, "Wait until we safely dock at Yokosuka, at least." She said.

"Fine by me." the man said. He then approached Inazuma. He noticed that she was holding a silver compass, which, the man perceived, was not doing its job. The needle was pointing south, back to the direction of the island, which, by then, was only a faint shadow on the horizon.

"It's really fortunate that we left when we did, right, Inazuma?" Error said, clutching a similar compass in her grasp. The compass in Error's possession was gold-colored. "Sometimes I don't know whether the forces that be wanted us to succeed or fail." she said.

In response to her words, Inazuma gave a slight nod.

"That compass, don't tell me..."

"Right. It allows us to detect Abyssal ships. They gave off a special sort of vibe, you see. The compass was able to capture that. A mini-radar against the Abyssal Fleet, and a lucky charm of sorts." Error said, "It's a special system, the COMPASS, short for Complex Oscillation Mapping: Precision Abyssal Sensing Structure." Error said.

The man cringed so hard he almost flinched, and what followed was an intent to throw Error into the sea, for the acronym was so forced it hurts. He could almost tell that whoever came up with the name worked it out from 'compass' first. "You totally made that up just now, don't you?"

"My, now that's an unlikely accusation." Error said.

"But if this 'compass' works as you said, then safe travel towards base is definitely possible. We just need to avoid the direction the compass is pointing at, right?" the man said.

"How naïve. No wonder you are without rank when I found you." Error said, "The disadvantage of the compass is that is has but one needle. Situation: two Abyssal task forces are closing in from two directions, North and East, what direction do you think the compass will point at?" she asked.

"You have a point. I assume it'll point to the closer of the two forces." He said. Error only nodded, "Then your escape plan isn't foolproof. What if we got into a similar situation?" he asked.

"Well, that's how it is when we see it. But in her hands it's a different story." Error shot Inazuma a glance. "What do you see, Inazuma?" she asked.

"Ah, yes." Inazuma snapped out from what the man thought was a daydream, "A small convoy of Abyssal cruisers are surrounding the islands we left from earlier."

"Well, I guess after we shot down their destroyer patrols they're bound to send a bigger force eventually." Error righted her hat as she spoke, "Really, we're lucky to have left when we did."

Inazuma continued, "To the west beyond Izu islands are a task force. I can't see much, but there are Abyssal battleships there."

Error dove into thought, her brows slightly knitted, "Battleships, huh? I take this task force is the one you ran into, admiral. I guess this means we can't stop by Oshima Island. If they got us there we're as good as done." she said.

"I can't see too far to the East because of the weather there, and there's nothing to the North except for a small destroyer patrol to the East of Oshima Island... I'm sorry..." Inazuma trailed off, "Error-san, I assume we will engage them?" she asked, her voice slightly meek.

"We can avoid the patrol by taking the roundabout route to the East, but then there's no telling what we'll meet there. Or we can sail directly north and lay waste to those poor Abyssal Destroyers." Error said, "Do you hear that, admiral?"

"Uh, yes." The man said, not sure how to respond. "How do you do that, Inazuma? That's amazing." he said.

Error cut in, "Hey, don't change the topic." she said. "This is your first decision as the admiral. Do we head north and engage, or take the roundabout route?"

"I'm the one calling the shots?" he retorted, more than a bit surprised.

"Well, I recall that you are the admiral, if that's what you're asking." she said.

The man stayed silent for a moment. "Say, Error, if we engage those Abyssal destroyers, can we really win? No, can we survive? Just so you know small arms doesn't do them a scratch." He said. From his perspective then, they had nothing they could throw at them.

"Of course I know that. Do you think I'd be here if machine guns is all it takes to destroy the Abyssal Fleet?" Error said. "Believe me. We have a ninety-percent chance of making it through with zero casualties." Just when the man asked where she got her figures from, she continued, "Or you'd rather take the roundabout route? I'm perfectly fine with whatever your decision is." The briefest hint of mischief in her voice was all the man needed to know that she's not taking his indecisiveness well.

The man made a sigh, "Alright, I'll believe you this once. You probably have more idea of what's going on here." he said. The way Error chose her words, and the way she acted. He figured out that she was holding back some information, or a lot of them. Still, she was waiting for him to decide, in which case, "We're heading North." he said.

Error also made a sigh, "When faced with the decision between danger and uncertainty, pick danger. Typical human behavior." she said.

"I'd say you're in no position to say that, being quite the typical human yourself." the man said.

"My, my, aren't we quick to assume?" Error gave off an evil smirk as she replied. "Well, Inazuma," Error turned to Inazuma, who had been partial to silence ever since her report. "You had your first, actual order. I'm still effectively vice-admiral now, so gear up." she said.

"Understood." Inazuma replied. She walked to the metallic pile of equipment to her side. A metallic backpack with a turret over her shoulder, two set of mini-torpedo holders on her sides, each stocking three shots. Inazuma quickly donned her equipment in natural, practiced motions, as if she knew them like the back of her own hand. More than prepared for combat, she jumped over the ship's perimeter into the sea.

There she stood, gently riding the waves with her foot, which had developed some sort of paddle-like hold against the water.

The man merely watched, astonished.

"There are no problems... right?" Inazuma said, looking herself over for any particular oddities.

Error shook her head, "None at all, the admiral's just a sheltered man" she said, "But really, you really are her spitting image. If he's still here, Lieutenant Tokiwa would be proud."

Inazuma smiled in return, before giving force to one of her legs, pushing herself forward, "First Fleet, First Destroyer Squadron, Sortie!" she shouted. With haste, she easily overtook the ship.

"On high spirits, isn't she? That girl, she's just so adorable." Error said, a big smile evident on her face. "Well, you see that, admiral? In addition to combat and usual maritime duties, you shouldn't forget to establish a good relationship with the fleet you will command." she turned back to the admiral, which was still wielding an expression of bewilderment. "Anyway, how long are you going to stand there looking surprised?"

The man felt that he had been thrust into something beyond his wildest expectations. "I don't even... What is she?" he asked. He kept trying to make some sense of what just happened. "Did she just stand on water?"

"You just keep on asking questions, don't you? Well, not that I blame you. Still, why'd you be so surprised? You've seen Abyssal ships, haven't you? Those and Inazuma are similar in nature." Error said. She then paced back to the ship's steering wheel, "As for what they are... A weapon, a ship, a human girl, a spirit. You can use any of those words to describe them."

"Spirit. Well I didn't see that one coming." The man perched his arms on the edges of the deck. "So this is supernatural territory already, huh? Figures." He said. "Well, now that I think about it, the Abyssal units stand on water, too. Will she be fine? I don't know about her and the Abyssal being similar in nature, she'll be outnumbered. Abyssal patrols aren't made up of a single destroyer."

"Abyssal ships cannot be damaged by anything short of a ship's cannon. Inazuma, too, is not the fragile child she looks like." Error threw the admiral a small binocular, "Admiral, watch the battle, and take note, because this is the moment humans have their first triumph over the Abyssal Fleet."

* * *

><p>From Inazuma's position, Error's ship was but a small dot on the horizon. It would be dangerous if it were to get too close. She now had the distant visual of three Abyssal units on her twelve o' clock, two destroyers and one light cruiser in a line ahead formation. They're headed west, to the direction of Oshima Island. It appears that neither of the three has noticed her, although that would quickly change.<p>

"This is your vice-admiral speaking, Inazuma, can you hear me?" came the voice of Error.

"Hawawawa, you surprised me, Error-san!" Inazuma replied. "I'm still not used to this..." she replied, her voice low.

"Eh, that compass is a lot more useful than it looks." came admiral's voice.

"You stay quiet for a second and let me show how it's done." Error barked. "Anyway, Inazuma, report the situation."

"Y-yes! There's a light cruiser and two destroyers, they're heading towards Oshima Island. I haven't been noticed." she said. "My armaments are in good condition. Ammunition is currently not a concern."

"Hmm, so it's true that the small Abyssal ships have poor detection. This works to our advantage, then. Still, if they're heading towards Oshima, then we can actually avoid combat and pass by unnoticed."

Inazuma pondered the thought. She didn't exactly wanted to fight the Abyssal ships. But... "No. I'll do it. Error-san, we can't risk being flanked later." she said.

"Well, that light cruiser is going to be a bit problematic, but if you want to do it, I know you can." Error said, "Have at them."

The voice went silent.

Inazuma figured the rules of naval warfare changed quite significantly with the Abyssal, and the Fleet girls like herself in play. But the fundamental rules of combat still apply, hit the enemy, and don't get hit by the enemy.

She has fought before. Several days before the admiral's arrival, Inazuma had fought Abyssal destroyers to protect Error, and island they sailed from earlier. The destroyers here are exactly the same as the ones she fought back then. Having only a single forward-facing cannon, their strength lies in their ability to maneuver themselves.

The light cruiser, on the other hand, sports many cannons facing forward and sideways, and they are more flexible as the destroyer's in terms of their aim. Its higher durability also made it a higher-priority target.

"Torpedoes loaded."

Inazuma concentrated, the makeup of her mind constituted only her and her three targets, taking into account their distance, direction, velocity and maneuvering ability to the best of her abilities. After a long breath, Inazuma pushed the trigger inside her mind, and from the case placed on her sides, a salvo of four torpedoes were set loose.

The four torpedoes entered the water and gained momentum from their turbines, accelerating like the ship killers they were built as. However, their travel was noticed. Mere tens of meters before they made contact with their target, the Abyssal ships scattered from their formation.

Yet one was too slow, the Abyssal Light Cruiser didn't even have the opportunity to turn before it was struck dead by two torpedoes, which detonated in quick succession, blowing off almost all of its side turrets. The cruiser then collapsed on its broadside, and began its dark descend to the bottom of the sea.

The other two were more fortunate, having the speed to dodge the incoming torpedo. Quickly locating its origin, the Abyssal destroyers paced around and repositioned themselves to face her. In the process of doing so, however, one were met with cannon shells multiple times, sending an Abyssal destroyer to the place of its namesake.

The sole remaining destroyer sped up and opened its maw, revealing a cannon nested within. Without wait it fired at Inazuma. Fortunately, the move had been anticipated, concurrent with the blast of the cannon, Inazuma strafed quickly to her right, avoiding incoming fire by an inch's length. The sound of ripped wind were fresh in her ears, but the sound of her cannon firing was even more so.

However, it was her miss to fire without taking into account her own strafe, as her shots landed inches off its target. Despite landing on water, these shells detonate, disturbing cubic meters of water around it. Shrouded by the brief cover of water, the Abyssal destroyer fired again.

This time, her instincts failed her. The incoming shell was small and steadfast, squarely landing on the torpedo casing placed on her left flank. The worst outcome that was an ammunition explosion is, fortunately, not to be.

"This much... is still okay." she mumbled. Ignoring the burning pain on her left side, Inazuma quickly picked up speed, trying to outmaneuver the speeding Abyssal destroyer, all while sending shells its way. Her accuracy was shaky when moving, but the suppressing fire seemed to slow down its movements.

By chance, a shot landed squarely on its back, indicated by a small explosion and a horrific metallic noise. It was not enough, however, as the Abyssal destroyer's pace was not disturbed. It was not until another ten seconds of shelling that another lucky hit redirected it to the bottom of the sea.

The sea was calm, albeit slightly smoky after the engagement. Inazuma assessed her left torpedo casing and found that the damage was quite extensive, although not severe. Just in case she unloaded the torpedoes remaining there and transferred it to the right casing.

"This is Inazuma, Error, commander, can you hear me?" Inazuma said, initiating the connection.

Error replied, "Loud and clear. I saw some smoke from here. Battle report."

"I did it. The three Abyssal ships are sunk. There's minor damage to the rigging, but it's negligible." Inazuma said. She looked back to the South and saw the ship, still quite a few kilometers away.

"Alright, Inazuma, perform a detection right there and give me the results." instructed Error.

Inazuma took out the silver compass from her pockets and held it tight. The metallic device was colder than her hands, yet reassuringly reliable. As she concentrated on the red-tinted needle, across the sea her senses wandered.

* * *

><p>The admiral was standing with binoculars held up to his eyes. "Amazing." He simply said. "They really can take down Abyssal ships. Normally you'd take a full squadron against that." he said. He then took off the binoculars and turned to Error, "But really, aren't you a better fit to command them? I'm really new to this thing, and, to be frank, I don't really have the charisma."<p>

Error stayed silent, still clutching the compass in her hands. "Inazuma's battle is still sloppy. Despite having more than sufficient ammunition, firing randomly at the general direction of the enemy is _not_ a good way to utilize them." She said.

"...Really a handful of trouble." The man said.

A small crackle came from the compass, "Reporting detection results. There's nothing to the North until Yokosuka base, the storm system to the East has receded further... I spot several Abyssal destroyers and... I've never seen this kind of reading before." came the voice of Inazuma, slightly meek.

"Something you can't recognize?" Error said, her tone slightly worried.

"B-but they're really far away, more than fifty kilometers... I think." she said. "The Abyssal task force near Izu Islands have moved south. I don't think we should worry about them anymore. And the Abyssal cruisers beyond your South... Error-san, they're heading towards us!"

Error sighed. She already half expected it to happen, as of recently, the Abyssal Fleet seemed to possess increasingly worrying amounts of brain. "Either they detected us somehow, or they figured we're heading to land." She quickly headed back to the steering wheel and ramped up the ship's engine to its limits. "We're heading to your position. Inazuma, sail within one kilometer of our ship."

"Understood." Inazuma replied.

"Sounds like bad news." The man checked the direction where they came from, the South. There he didn't spot anything even with his binoculars. The pursuing force was still quite far away. "Any plan besides going as fast as we can?" he asked.

"Well, this ship can only go to just shy of twenty knots, tops." she said. Error then played with her fingers, calculating, "At this rate, we're going to arrive at sundown, that is, if we arrive at all."

A quick glance at the sun confirmed the time, "That's still two hours away!" the man shouted. "Are they going to catch up?"

"Don't quote me on this, but if it's entirely light cruisers, the Abyssals have this ship beat." she said, "Either way, I suspect they will be visible just after we pass by Oshima, and get us into their range half an hour later." Error paced around the control room, "I figured they somehow detected the battle just now and are going to check the site. In that case..."

Inazuma's voice came on again, "Commander, I can engage the force to the south."

Error sighed. "Don't let that victory get into your head." Her tone was almost scolding. "Destroyers aren't cut out to engage ships larger than their size. You only got the cruiser earlier because the element of surprise." She added, after which she cut the connection. A long breath accompanied her steps as she stared at the small dot in front of them that was Inazuma, "This is quite a pinch we're in…" Error's eyes slowly moved to the man, who almost expected her to ask, "Admiral, do you have any ideas?"

Amongst many things, there was one that kept on bothering him since he saw Inazuma's fight, "Inazuma is the name of an IJN ship, right?" he asked. The man recalled that Inazuma was _also_ the name of a JMSDF Escort Destroyer, but the air Inazuma the girl had around her, and the torpedo armaments she had, convinced the man that it was not that one.

"Eh, yes?" Not exactly anticipate a question in return, she was caught off-guard, "As she is right now, Inazuma should have capabilities of her namesake…" Her eyes lit up, "I get it! That's one unusual idea. For someone who said he's new to this, you're developing the right mindset already, not bad." She said, to which the man only smiled. Error then hailed Inazuma through the compass, "Inazuma, I've got orders for you." She said.

* * *

><p>Inazuma returned to the ship, which was then approaching the scene where the battle took place, "Error-san, I'm not really sure what plan you are thinking of…" Inazuma said, almost visibly shrinking when the admiral stared at her; he seemed to be perceiving Inazuma's equipment. Error was tinkering with the large part of her rigging on her back with little success. She had heard awfully specific instructions from Error, who seemed to have a solution to their predicament. "This feels weird." Inazuma said, which elicited a small groan from Error.<p>

The admiral seemed to notice this, and moved around Inazuma to see what Error had been up to, "Error, don't tell me you're that bad at making knots." The admiral said, his expression a little bit condescending. Inazuma noticed that he seemed to be a bit more spirited, as opposed to his deadpan disposition during the first moments she met him. "At this rate we're going to be done in by the Abyssal Fleet, they can appear to our south any second now." He added.

"Shut up! I'm great at untying them." Error shouted, trying to defend herself against the man's accusation, which gains less credibility by every passing second. "It's just, I have to make sure it's tough enough…" Her more significant worries seem to be the least of the admiral's, especially taking into account the messy knot of thick rope Error made on a protrusion on Inazuma's rigging, which undoes when Inazuma did so much as to lean forward. "Inazuma! Don't move just yet!" Error barked.

"Hawawawa!" Inazuma yelped in surprise as Error pulled her rigging back into position.

The admiral watched the exchange unfold with the expression of a starving penguin, "This is bad, we might actually die." he said, "Error, let me do it." He said, giving out his hand, "Sometimes you have to hand it to the crew."

Error hesitated for a moment, before replying, "Fine! This is supposed to be a man's job to begin with." Error threw the rope, which the admiral caught. She then took a step back, giving him a degree of space to work with. "It's just, I'm supposed to guide you until Yokosuka, at least. Having you do any work is kind of…" her words trailed off as her finger twirled her stray strands of golden hair.

The admiral moved behind Inazuma, "Alright, Inazuma, stay still for a while longer." His voice took on a surprisingly gentle tone, which, in a way, caught Inazuma off guard. She found herself reddening on the face, "N-nanodesu…" she mumbled. She definitely was feeling like a small child right then. The man had little problem with the thick of the rope, and quickly secured a tight knot in just a short moment.

"Alright, I'll take your word on the strength of the rope, Error." The admiral said to Error, who was standing with a slightly defeated expression. "Inazuma, this ship is not going fast enough to outrun the cruisers, so, we'll have you tow it." He said. "Can you do it?" he asked.

Inazuma blinked, processing the instruction briefly. Then she moved her eyes to one end of the rope, tied to the mooring hook at the stem of the ship, before moving her eyes to the other end, tied securely on the rigging behind her back. Apparently realizing the physical discrepancies involved, Inazuma's eyes widen in realization. She turned around to face the admiral, and her head shook weakly. "I'm not sure I can do this, commander." She said. "It's… impossible." She lowered her gaze to the deck.

The admiral gave off a small smile and kneeled to match his height with hers, "Frankly, neither did I." the admiral said, much to Inazuma, and Error's, surprise. He seemed to caught Error's surprised face and let out a small laugh, to the latter's chagrin. "Today, I've been thrust to so many things outside my common sense that it stopped working. Crushing losses, surreal dreams, even odder job descriptions, people walking on water, you name it." He said. "When people lost their common sense, the facts they previously believed in hardly matters anymore, you know?" the admiral said, "They stopped caring about what's true and what's not, and just take as fact the next thing they're told, desperate for something to believe in." The admiral said. He then stood, "So, if you tell me that a small kid like you can pull the weight of this ship weighing tons, I'd buy it. Hell I'd readily bet my life on it."

"Commander..."

"But if you tell me you can't, then I'll take your word for it, too. We'll think of some other plan that we all believe we can do." He walked to the stem of the ship, to the fence where the other end of the rope was securely tied to. "Inazuma, I ask again, can you do it?" he asked.

Inazuma took a nervous breath, "I'll do it." she said, a new spirit empowering her voice.

The man only smiled in return.

Error watched the two with a smile on her face, "Well, admiral, seems you made the good bet." She said. "And apparently I did, too." she added silently.

* * *

><p>There are two things left in the man's immediate list of worries. The first was whether Inazuma could actually do it, which was quickly resolved when the small boat started cruising faster than ever before. Inazuma seemed to feel some strain, and he hoped she could endure it until arrival on port. The second was the rope, which had been making some horrific sounds the man could not associate with a steadfast rope. His solution to this second concern was to stare daggers at Error, who was stoically ignoring it.<p>

"Should be less than an hour left until we arrive." Error said, "the cruisers are not showing up, so I guess our plan worked as well as I expected." She retrieved Batsubyou from a small corner of the ship; the cat had been unnervingly immobile since they set sail from the island. "Thanks to you, of course." In what to him seemed to be a rare moment, Error gave a genuine smile.

"Well, I won't be here in the first place, if not for you." the admiral said.

Out of the blue, Inazuma shouted from the front, "Commander, there are debris sighted ahead." Her voice seemed tired, but the ship was not dropping in speed. "

The admiral headed to the helm, and saw a scene he had seen several times before.

A scene he would never grow used to.

Wood and steel were floating on the surface of the water, surrendering to the waves to carry them away. As the man turned to face starboard, he spotted _them_.

Not the Abyssals, it was something more mundane.

The corpses of a wrecked ship's crew.

**To be continued.**

* * *

><p>AN: Added chapter header. I'm currently seeking a beta with adequate English skills that can give their honest input and possess a degree of naval warfare (not necessarily pertaining to the Pacific Theater). PM me if you're interested.


	2. Where Our Faults End

**Chapter 2: Where Our Faults End**

Their arrival at the Port of Yokosuka was uneventful and bleak. There were barely any people to greet them. Natural, as the naval base had been abandoned two years ago (before recently reactivated for the operation). "What use did a port have if the sea was denied to them?" The admiral remembered those words, uttered by the head of the naval high command Yamamoto, two years after the Abyssal Fleet first appeared. After many failed attempts to repel them, and many more lives lost in the process, he then promptly shut down naval ports facing the Pacific Ocean. The Communications HQ for JMSDF was relocated from Tokyo's Ichigaya to a more secure region; an action which, perhaps, signified Japan's declaration that they had given up.

The admiral stared off to the sea, his clad-in-white figure stained orange under the evening glow. Perhaps it was only a few hours, but their escape from the island felt distant, as if the occasion transpired in the far past. He had come to associate such distant feelings as the stress getting into him. His thoughts were jumbled, partly from the responsibility Error thrust upon him, partly from seeing his fellow seamen falling victim to the Abyssal, partly from the general weirdness of his situation.

The Abyssal Fleet knew no customs and had no honor. The small, more feral forms of the Abyssal had even been reported _eating_ people. People who lost their lives on the Abyssal-ruled seas often did not have the luxury of a proper burial, for retrieving their corpses, or whatever remains of them, will often result in further loss of lives. With this the admiral knew that his comrades would not gain their proper rest, their remains continually floating on the vast sea.

Just after they arrived on port, Inazuma said to him, "Commander, from now on I will be under your command." Despite her best attempts to sound otherwise, the admiral felt she said it more for her own sake. A statement of self-assurance to keep herself from breaking down. Inazuma was badly shaken when she saw the mangled corpses; the smile she wore when she spoke then was so fragile, he thought it would break should he looked at it hard enough. Seemingly noticing his outward gaze, Inazuma continued, "I want to win the war, but I also want to save lives. Is that weird?" she asked.

The admiral took her words carefully, preceding his reply with a long breath, "I'm not sure." he said, "Some said the two are mutually exclusive, some said they're basically the same thing, although I'm not sure about that." He added. The admiral took the gap of silence as his opportunity to excuse himself with a polite nod. It was probably insensitive of him to give a non-answer, but he'd rather avoid depressing himself further, and Inazuma's state of mind warranted a moment for her to be by herself.

Currently, he was searching for Error, who left the party after their arrival on port. Despite taking the long detour throughout the base, Error was nowhere to be found. In the end, the admiral reported his situation to the JMSDF officer currently in charge of the port's operation, who told him that he would convey his situation, and the result of the operation, to the HQ. For now he, and the 'assets' retrieved from the island, was to stay within the naval base. After making small conversations to ease off the tension, the admiral politely took his leave.

He walked around the port grounds, surveying the condition of the port out of boredom. It was not terribly derelict, but some facilities definitely needed repair to properly function. The admiral discovered that there was only the bare minimum of personnel present to operate the base, and those personnel are demoralized, much because the total sinking of the task force by the Abyssal Fleet. They did not show it when he was around, probably because of his white officer garb, which made him easily mistaken for an actual high-ranked navy personnel.

When he returned to the ship, he found Inazuma still there, appearing more composed than earlier. She was tinkering with her equipment and tools. When he asked what she was doing, Inazuma replied, "I'm going to fix myself up a little. One of my torpedo cache was damaged. If it's minor damage, I can repair it with materials from the ship."

"Well, don't hurt yourself trying to repair it." The admiral said. He wondered how she'd go about repairing it, but meeting Error takes priority. Of course, that could only be if he knew where in the world she was. Error had left the ship almost immediately after it docked, and it had been two hours since then. It made him wonder if she had been holding her water or something since they left the island. "Inazuma, do you know where Error is? I've been looking for her." he asked.

Inazuma tilted her head slightly, "I think she told me about going to the library to read up on something…" she said. The admiral wished he could ask her earlier.

After wandering about the unfamiliar port, the admiral spotted the door to the Library building unlocked. A surprising fact, remembering this building was conjoined with the Archives, which was rather confidential in nature. He could imagine Error lockpicked it, though. Remarkably, the building was in good condition despite the lack of maintenance. The admiral proceeded to take a look inside, shifting the double doors open with a loud, swinging creak.

There he quickly spotted the cat, Batsubyou, jumping from one stack of books to the next. Error's small stature was hidden behind a bookshelf, only visible after the admiral spent minutes walking through the rows of them. A knowing grin was continually plastered on her girlish face as she skimmed book by book under the hanging fluorescent lamps. The sight, audible only with the sound of paper sliding against each other, made it occur to the admiral that Error could actually look decent when she was not rattling at him, or musing things beyond his knowledge.

An evil idea presented itself as an opportunity to surprise Error, but the admiral decided against it, for Error seemed to be enjoying the read, "We've just arrived. Catch a little break before hitting the books, will you?" the admiral said.

Error closed the book and turned to face his figure. The grin on her face had faded to a small smile; she knew, "Well, I have a lot of catching up to do." She said. "You're here to talk to me, right?"

"Yes. Now that we've arrived I don't know what I should do. I've told the man in charge about the situation, and they're waiting for a reply from the higher-ups." The admiral said, leaning on a sturdy bookshelf not too far from Error. Error's eyes were slightly unfocused, and her posture was more slouched than usual, "It's nighttime already. You might want to take some time to rest. You don't look good." He said.

"Do I? Well, I pass on the offer. As things are, I hardly have any time to waste." She said. "Back to topic, 'what is your next step?' A shame you can't figure it out yourself. Aren't you quite the aimless man? Starting from the obvious, you will set up a functioning base from which you launch humanity's counter-offensive. Gather more ships under your wing of command, strengthen them, and destroy every Abyssal presence." She said. "Obviously, you should start by clearing the areas surrounding the naval base. At least, you should be able to secure a perimeter ranging from this base to Izu islands. From there, it's up to you what to prioritize."

"What to prioritize?"

"The situation then will be unpredictable. We don't know what the Abyssal Fleet might do after they discover the existence of a force capable of posing a threat to them. I admit, despite all my talk, I don't know a lot about the Abyssal Fleet save my own observations on the island. So seeking my aid to that end will prove fruitless." Error said. With an impatient swipe, she took another book from the top of a tall stack and laid it down on the reading table, "I'm going to be here for a while. You should meet up with Inazuma soon." She said.

The man stood still for a while, before he let out a sigh, "Well, I guess you're right." He said, before walking back towards the exit, "Say, Error…" he asked, to which Error lifted her eyes from the book, "…Never mind. See you later. Don't push yourself." He said, disappearing behind the library exit.

* * *

><p>It was night.<p>

"One: you're the one pushing yourself." Error said.

Freed from immediate and constant threats against his life, the admiral's stomach had roughly reminded him that yes, he hadn't eaten anything since he fell into the ocean. For the second time that day, Inazuma had the shock of her life when the admiral toppled over from sheer hunger. An emergency trip to the mess hall was called for, and now he sat, fervently having his fill of the all-familiar curry rice.

"Two: I didn't remember ordering anything." Error said, lazily handling her spoon, one end buried within her modest portion of curry rice. "Three: You ate way too much, even for a man." she eyed the three-plate stack beside the admiral's fourth plate, from which he was currently wolfing down food. "They said hunger is the best spice, but there should be limits." she said. Seemingly in concurrence, Batsubyou, which had his own portion of cat food, meowed.

The admiral paused eating, and shot a glare at Error, "Officially, I'm still an element of the JMSDF so I'm actually entitled to the meals, but they're nice enough to give _you_ food. Show some gratefulness for once, will you? Besides, I never saw you eating anything since we first met, aren't you hungry?" he said. His eyes keenly moved to the person beside Error, "You should learn a thing or two about that from Inazuma!"

Inazuma, who had been slowly enjoying the food, perked up in surprise, letting out a confused "Eh?" which was replied to with a warm laugh from the admiral. "Sheesh, commander. Keep your voice down." Inazuma said. "It might just be the three of us right now in the mess hall, but that doesn't make it okay to be so loud when eating."

"Right, right." he said. He then extended his hand towards Inazuma, "Aren't you a good girl, Ina—"

Error slapped his hand away, "I will refrain from rebuking that implied remark about my entitlement to the food, but no patting heads when your hands reek of curry, you messy eater of an admiral." she said. Error turned to Inazuma, "Inazuma, let it be known that even if he's the admiral, he had no right to get overly creepy on his subordinates, _especially_ when he's in no shape to do so, which is almost all the time, basing on my observation so far."

"Error, I'll be frank," The admiral said, his expression dead serious, "shut up for once and let me enjoy the curry."

Error did not even flinch. "Not happening. As the one who made you admiral, I still have a lot to lay upon you." she said, "Inazuma currently can't fight because her rigging was taken away. Now we have nothing to protect ourselves with should the Abyssal Fleet attack this base." Error said, "As her admiral, shouldn't you do something about this?" Error pointed her spoon right at the admiral as she spoke, "I'm being serious here."

Apparently, sometime after the admiral left her on the ship, Inazuma had been instructed to transfer her equipment (which she called her 'rigging') to the base's temporary custody. She did not react well to it, although in the end, she let them take the equipment, rather reluctantly.

The admiral heaved a sigh, and swatted away Error's spoon-turned-pointer with his own, "At least the compass wasn't taken." he said, "But don't worry, the Abyssal Fleet almost never attack targets on a sufficiently large landmass. They target every single sea vessel that's not themselves, impose naval blockades, destroy communication lines, and shoot down low-flying aircrafts. But, they don't attack land without a good reason." he said, putting his spoon back down on the plate, now clean of any rice.

"That's exactly why I'm worried! Inazuma's battle near Oshima Island basically telegraphed to the entirety of Abyssal Fleet our capability of posing a threat. If I'm the Abyssal, that's a good enough reason." she shouted. Inazuma reeled slightly from her outburst, making Error readjust her tone to a calmer one, "I _did_ say earlier that they're becoming harder to predict. The records I found at the archives also indicated a growing rate of coordination in how the Abyssal Fleet performs their attacks. While we're idling like this, the Abyssal are changing and growing in ways we have no knowledge of." she said. "I know there's hardly any meaningful counter-operation we can perform with only Inazuma, but every Fleet Girl should have quick access to their combat rigging."

"Error. I don't have the authority to do that even if I want to." the admiral said, "You and Inazuma might be going on and on about this whole deal about me being an 'admiral'. Sure, that felt good when it lasted, but if you hadn't noticed, my rank in the _actual, operating_ naval force of Japan is nothing to write home about." he said.

"Oh, with the Fleet Girls under your command, authority is the least of your concerns. It's just not obvious since the number of Fleet Girls in your fleet amounted to one." Error said, gesturing for the admiral to calm down some, "We're fortunate that Inazuma is quite the pacifist, any other Fleet Girl and they would outright refuse having their equipment taken." she added.

"Well, then it's a good thing that Inazuma is the way she is." The admiral said. Inazuma blushed slightly at the statement, prompting the admiral to react further, "And you're modest as well, Inazuma. Wow, I'm amazed!" he said, raising his voice to a playfully high tone. The blush on Inazuma's face only grew more visible.

As the admiral sang overblown praises to see how high the saturation meter could go, Error watched the scene unfold with a bemused expression, "Honestly, you are the admiral, and yet-" she came to a sudden pause. A look of realization dawned on her face, "I see, it makes sense now, no wonder they took it." his sudden statement made both the admiral and Inazuma pause. She took an assertive, hands-on-table stance, which was somewhat dampened by the neglected plate of curry she shoved to the side. "Honestly, this is might not be the best thing to think over dinner, but you should consider what being an admiral implies. Not just for yourself or your fleet, but for everyone else." she said.

The sudden seriousness her tone took caught him off-guard, "A-alright." he said.

"I'm sorry for the cook, but I have no obligation to finish food I didn't order." Error stood up, "Well, it seems everyone's done eating. No reason to be here anymore." she said, "Admiral, I'm returning to the library. In the first place, I only came because Inazuma told me through the compass that you collapsed. It appears that I was worried for nothing." she sighed.

The admiral shot her a glare, "You're worried about me? That's news." he said.

"Of course I do. I'm the one who made you admiral, so it's my responsibility to see you doing your job correctly." she said, returning the glare with a sharper one of her own, "Get your act together, admiral. You'll need it tomorrow." she said, before silently leaving the mess hall.

The admiral sighed as he saw her figure disappearing in the darkness, "Tomorrow?" he muttered, more than slightly puzzled. He then returned his sight to Inazuma, "But Error sure is an unflappable one, isn't she?" he said. "I don't know many girls like her."

Inazuma also had her eyes glued to the exit, where Error's silhouette had long dissipated in the distance, "But, commander, Error is a kind person, you know? I don't really know why, but she acts differently since she met you." Inazuma said, "It's as if she became strong for you, commander."

The admiral blinked, "Really?" he tried to imagine the scene, Error being a kind girl... was just out of her scope. "She's a good person. But I figured she was the type that expresses her kindness indirectly." the admiral said, then he blushed slightly, "Gah, what am I saying?"

Inazuma let out a small, soft laugh. Somehow, the mess hall felt bigger than it was without Error. "Did you know, admiral? When I first fought the Abyssal Fleet on the island, it was scary." she said, "I barely knew how to fight. It was a close call, and I got damaged. The wounds hurt, and I was tired. Fighting alone was really tough." Inazuma continued. The admiral listened closely, "It's as if everything else is your enemy." she added. "This is a bit embarrassing, but when I returned to Error, I cried. 'I don't want to fight', 'It's scary', I think I said those things." she said.

"It was then when Error consoled me. She hugged me and told me that everything will be alright." Inazuma said, she was, again, sporting a slight blush on her face as she recounted the event, "Maybe that didn't amount to much for you, commander. But that was what made me think that Error is a kind person." she said. "After that, I realize that if I want to protect Error, I have no choice but to fight, and Error helped me to get better at that."

A slightly somber expression remained on the admiral's face. "Error really did that?" he asked, to which Inazuma nodded, "That's quite unexpected of her. I can hardly imagine it." he said. His face was deep in thought, and after a moment of silence, he spoke up, "You suppose she'd do that to me too if I came back crying?"

"I-I don't know about that, commander." Inazuma said.

* * *

><p>That night the admiral was permitted to sleep in an unused room within the officer's quarters. He was told that his admiral's uniform would draw too much unneeded attention should he slept in the barracks as he did before the operation. Error and Inazuma was also assigned to a single room for the two of them, which was located just beside the admiral's room. He had bathed and changed into casual clothes he would sleep in, he also noticed that Inazuma wore the same set of clothes both before and after she bathed. When he asked her about it, Inazuma seemed to panic, thus leading him to drop the matter (he had teased her enough that day).<p>

After populating his room with the bare necessities of a living space and turning off the lights, he found himself sitting in front of a desk in his room. There, he did not sort through a comical pile of papers and documents, nor did he entertain himself by laying his thoughts on paper. The desk was as empty as the calm seas. Instructed by a habit long abandoned, he crossed his arms on the table and rested the side of his head on it. His sight was locked to a window to the outside, providing a picture of the town outside the naval base.

Years ago, he was leading a perfectly normal life.

A fresh university graduate, he picked up a desk job in a famous electronic goods chain. Despite the occasional pressure and the amount of paperwork, he had always found work to be a refreshing routine, a compensated acknowledgement that he was now inside the society, a cog in the machine. He never found it to be a bore, diligently living his days.

Time to time again, he would voluntarily take his work so far overtime that he would be the last person in the office. Working until all reports were filed, and all the assets accounted for ahead of the report deadline.

At such times, he'd clear his desk and place his arms upon it, just like what he did now. And he would stare outside the window, calmly taking in the sights of a bright, busy city that never sleeps. The machine kept moving ceaselessly as a cog sat still, unmoving, observing the large picture in its grand task. Reassured within an artificial sense of ubiquity, he would find the lights, the beat of the city, and the vague, indiscernible sounds of the streets taking him slowly into a meditative state, as the ticking of the clock did for some.

In the end, he would find himself falling asleep calmly, successfully tricking himself to think: "All is right with the world."

...

...

...

But now, he found himself painfully awake. The city beyond the window was still and dark, dim and quiet like the ancient haunted ruins of fiction and fantasy. The complete silence was unnerving. He had partly realized it: this is a reality where the abyss had imposed its meaning upon the world, and for better or worse, he had been put in charge of fixing it. His figure was completely still, but instead of calm, his heart began beating as worry and uncertainty grew a thin membrane over his soul.

A gripping darkness caught his mind, it was a feeling of anxiousness from naiveté, like a kid who thought time froze when he broke the clock. How strongly he wished that was the case, as he found himself trapped in a piece of eternity, watching the unmoving city beyond the window, the abandoned machine, the broken clock, the unmoving cog. The lights disappeared, the sounds muted, the pulse had stopped. One day, he would stare out as he had always did, and found the window to the world replaced with the blackness of the abyss.

Would it be his fault?

"Commander."

The admiral jumped as a hand tapped his shoulder. He turned to spot Inazuma's face, which almost seemed like she was staring at a dead man. "Commander, are you alright?" she asked, her voice slightly cracking. "I knocked earlier, and the door was not locked, so I thought..." her voice trailed off, as if he had spotted a change on the admiral's face. "Commander?"

The admiral quickly shook his head, and lightly slapped his face with both of his hands. He then looked at Inazuma for a second, and shifted to examine himself for another, then his sights returned to the brown-haired girl, "I-Inazuma, what was I doing? ...I mean, what are you doing here?" his head mechanically scoured the room for a clock, confirming that it was indeed nighttime, "I thought you've gone to sleep."

Inazuma took a step back, "I did. B-but Error didn't come back and I-I can't sleep by myself, so..." her voice trailed off again, "But anyway, commander, what happened just now? You looked very, very sad." she said, a look of worry on her face.

Was he? The admiral put a hand on his own chest; his heartbeat was still above normal. What happened earlier? Was it the fatigue playing tricks on his mind? His mind was again filled with questions, but this time he didn't even have anyone to ask. "Forget it, I was just tired." The admiral took a deep breath, "So, what's that about not being able to sleep alone?" he asked, a small smile returning to his face.

Inazuma turned red again, which elicited a small laugh from the admiral, "I get it, so don't worry. I'll sleep with you. The bed is rather hard, though, I hope you don't mind." the admiral said. He quickly realized how disastrously the wrong interpretation of his words could be, and mustered all of his willpower to _not_ let the joke play itself out.

Alas, he couldn't help himself when Inazuma spontaneously turned lobster-red. At this sight, his face inherited a sinister smile.

After a minute or so of tease, the admiral started to feel bad and stopped. He became somewhat tired from grinning so much, and walked to the bed, before sitting on it, "So basically, you want me to wait until Error came back?" he asked, to which Inazuma nodded ever so strongly, a faint blush still remaining on her face. "Well, that's okay, too. You overreacted badly, though." Badly enough that his inner sadist came out. "You see, I had a little brother, and he was like you, too; he can't really sleep alone. When my mother came home late, he'd sneak to my room."

"Ehhhh? That's so cute." Inazuma said, "I have sisters too, commander. I... still don't sure how they look like, though." she said. The admiral's interest seemed to be piqued, prompting Inazuma to continue, "Their names are Akatsuki, Hibiki, and Ikazuchi. We were really close..." her voice trailed off again, and Inazuma formed a distant smile. "...but really, admiral. It's okay if you want to sleep with me." she said, "I get the feeling that you won't do anything weird."

Again, the admiral mustered all of his willpower to not poke fun at her choice of words. "Well, about that, if you don't mind..." he shook his head again, then his mind searches for questions to steer the topic away from ones easily misunderstood, "By the way, Inazuma. Error called you a 'Fleet Girl', does that mean this 'Akatsuki' and others are female, too?" he asked.

"Every Fleet Girl is female, commander. Besides the obviously female term, that's because ships has always been referred to with a female pronoun, right? At least that's what Error told me when we were at the island." Inazuma said, as if that was the most natural thing in the world.

The admiral was at a loss of how to react. His inner, male self told him that he should be a bit happy at the fact, while his dignity told him he was to accept the fact in stride, "I see." the latter won out, just barely. "How did the two of your end up on that island, anyway?" he asked.

"The first thing I realized after being incarnated was, the calm of the sea under my feet." Inazuma said, she then spread his arms wide, "At that time, I already found myself like this, with all the equipment you saw I was using earlier today. I'm also immediately aware of who I am, but my memory is somewhat fuzzy at certain events." She said, letting out an idle laugh. Inazuma then sat down on the chair by the table, "After that, I heard Error's voice. She talked to me through the compass, which I apparently have with me since the beginning, and told me to come to the island." She said.

The admiral listened to her story with keen attention, "I see. On that note, Inazuma, aren't you scared? I'd be scared if I suddenly appear on the middle of the ocean." He asked.

Seemingly not expecting the question, Inazuma made a low hum as she thought up a response, "It wasn't scary, commander. I mean, I am a ship. Ships belong to the sea, right? It would've been scary if I met the Abyssal, though." she said, "If I have to say, I felt lonely at first, but there's Error, then you came along, commander." Inazuma said, a small smile beaming from her face. "I don't think I'll be lonely anymore."

With such a kindred spirit in front of him, the admiral couldn't help but smile back.

The time was then spent cheerfully, with Inazuma telling him stories, mostly second-hand ones from Error mixed with her own opinions. The admiral also managed to scare Inazuma with a standard-issue ghost story, although she was quick to put on a brave face. As the night grew deeper, both of them quickly ran out of stamina, completely worn out from the day. The admiral decided to let Inazuma slept on his bed, while he sat on the chair by the desk, not feeling like sleeping yet.

He did not 'meditate' either. Recalling what happened mere hours ago, he was reluctant to give himself to dreams, for they might be nightmares. He looked at Inazuma, who was tightly hugging a pillow. "Error sure was taking her time. I hope she didn't fall asleep in the library." he said. It was the verge of the next day, although sunrise was still half a clock-face away in terms of hours. "Inazuma, you still awake?" he asked.

"...Yes." Inazuma answered, her voice slightly garbled with sleep. "What is it, commander?"

"Sorry. I want to ask a question." The admiral said. Since the beginning, there was one point he had always wondered about, "Why Error didn't became the admiral herself?"

* * *

><p>The cold morning air quickly shook him awake. He had ended up sleeping with his face on the desk (as he had originally planned). He paid the clock a brief glance; 5 AM, pretty early for his standards. He stood up to spot Inazuma peacefully lying on the bed, still sunk deep within slumber; a thought to which he smiled at in passing. After a low-impact, silent exercise to stimulate his limbs, he changed back into the white admiral garb (after making sure Inazuma has yet to wake) before leaving the room.<p>

What awaited him in the corridor was the girl he had seen too many of yesterday, the cat-holding, deceptively harmless-looking Error. Her twin orbs of bright blueish-green had their lenses pointed straight at him as he emerged from the room. "What?" the admiral asked, slightly flinching from the intensity of the stare. The cat, Batsubyou, which was also staring at him, did not help.

"You should consider a need for another set of those clothes; after what it went through yesterday, this one would not do for today." She said, a statement that made the admiral looked over himself once more, "Not a matter worth worrying, though. Just a reminder, because you're meeting someone today." She said.

"Someone?" The admiral started, "Is this the meeting you told me to 'get my act together' for?" he asked. "Is it another Fleet Girl?" he said.

"My, aren't you an expectant one?" Error said, "Why would you say that? Did you finally deduce what the 'girl' part of the term 'Fleet Girl' implies?" she sported a malicious grin as she spoke, causing the admiral to reel back slightly, "I hope you are better than what I made you out to be. The greatest offense would be for you would be to take advantage of your position in _that_ manner." She said. The glare he thought couldn't got any sharper just did.

The admiral resisted putting up his hands to shield himself, "I get it already. It's not like I'm into kids or something." he said, looking at the cat more than Error, for the fear of locking his eyes against her stare, "that would be the last thing I do." He added, causing Error to sigh and shook her head lightly. The admiral wondered why Error was so agitated; was she not a morning person? Regardless, after having subjected to such a high-power glare, he felt compelled to sigh, "So, you just want to give me that warning?" he asked.

Error gave a mild laugh, "Surely you jest." She said, the shred of seriousness on her face collapsed into a smile, a perfectly disguised, carefree expression, "I used to see the sunrise from this very port. It had been a long time since then, and I'd like to know if the sunrise then and now, how would one compare to the other?" she said. Error crouched for a moment and loosened her hold against the cat's forelegs, returning Batsubyou to his rightful four-legged stance, "Would you like to come with me?" she said.

The admiral gave a slight nod.

It was a short walk from the quarters to the mooring piers. The deafening silence between his footsteps and Error's reminded him of how quiet a cat's gait was. The sky was still dark, with the moon obscured by high-flying clouds. The air was slightly chilly, a fragment of winter that has yet to reside.

"This reminds me," the admiral spoke up, "isn't it a bit early for me to don the summer garb?" he said, his eyes paying heed to his icy-white admiral's uniform. Both the JMSDF and the IJN had differently colored uniforms for winter and summer seasons. The black version was purposed to be worn through winter, while the white, the one he was decorated in, was meant to be worn in summer.

"Well, I was thinking about letting you change into the winter uniform, but I caught wind about the person you're going to meet. They said he wore the summer uniform all-year round. A fascinating man, that one. If not for you, he might do as the admiral of the Fleet Girls." Error said, "I foresaw that you might won some points if you wore the same thing he does, so I let you." Error said, a shrewd smile visible on her face.

"I see." The admiral said.

After a second, the calm completely disappeared from his face. There was only one person who would do that, the one the entirety of the JMSDF would instantly recognize as their superior, "A-admiral Yamamoto…" he muttered weakly as sweat began forming on his skin, "Seriously, Error?" the admiral asked, his voice became thick with anxiety and trepidation.

Admiral Yamamoto was _the _admiral, the working head of the JMSDF, and the one who turned the war against the Abyssal into a defensive one. After assuming command, he employed various tactical countermeasures that prevented Abyssal Fleet from ever achieving a 'complete victory' over the Japanese fleet, luring them away from strategic sea-lanes and supply points. Although in the end he had to relinquish the Pacific to the Abyssal Fleet, he successfully maintained the strained peace on the Sea of Japan, and protected the trade lanes passing through the Yellow Sea as well as the Indian Oceans, preventing a complete naval blockade that would have crippled Japan's economy.

The admiral barely had the time to wonder how Error could expect a visit from such a respectable person, for he was preoccupied with the fact that he would soon meet the man himself. He had never met him in person before, but he knew that Admiral Yamamoto was also known for his little eccentricities, such as wearing the summer navy officer uniform regardless of the season, or paying unexpected visits to Japanese naval bases without prior notice, or suddenly leaving the office to sneak in a highway ride on his old motorcycle. Some of those are often attributed to his old age. Those eccentricities, combined with his prestigious tactical prowess, transformed him into an iconic figure of the JMSDF.

"As I expected, losing your nerves here is greatly preferable to losing it when you met him later. It would've reflected badly on me." Error said. She seemed to take delight in watching panic coursing through the man's body, "Don't snap on me, now. You should've expected something to this degree. After all, it is impossible for the navy to stay quiet after pouring so much resource into an expedition, failing it, then hearing someone made it back with the VIP in tow."

The man still couldn't accept the notion that Error was a VIP, he stayed silent without reply, knowing that his voice would probably crack if he spoke up. Was it excitement that shook him, or was it anxiety? He wasn't sure himself. Either way, he forced the pace his footsteps to stay constant, walking slightly behind Error as they approached the end of a pier.

The steps calmed him down some. Nervous as he was, he believed that Admiral Yamamoto was wise in his decisions. He had finally concluded that he had no reason to be so anxious. He silently repeated that conclusion, returning his heartbeat's pace into a natural one. As soon as their walk ended, Error sat on a mooring column, facing the open seas in silence. Batsubyou followed her and jumped to her lap. With a smile the admiral did not spot, she petted its fur, which was slightly frizzled in the dry cold air. Seemingly comforted by the touch of her hands, Batsubyou let out a soft meow.

The admiral knew, though, that the cat sounded a little sad.

"Error, I have something to tell you." He said. The admiral had been bothered by thoughts since his last conversation with Inazuma. He had learned something unpleasant, and he felt the dire need to communicate it to Error somehow.

Error did not turn her head, "What is it?" she asked.

After much thought, he decided that this remark was all he needed, "You're a good person." he said.

Error's hand, which was softly petting the cat, froze briefly. The admiral couldn't see her reaction. Error the girl, a peculiar person he had only met yesterday. He couldn't predict how she would react, for he did not knew her well enough. Inazuma would probably know by the virtue of knowing her for longer.

But if he had to guess, she would be smiling.

"And so?" came her delayed reply, "Is this some poor attempt at encouraging this lonely-looking girl?" she said, a slight edge present in her voice. "I don't know what made you said that, but I have no ears for empty complements." She added, "If anyone needs complementing here, it would be you." She said, "On that ship you were supposed to sink with, there must be people who held great value in your eyes. You had not a chance to grieve, and yet you can talk with such composure." She sighed lightly, "Puzzling."

"They were prepared for it." he said, "I was, too. But that's a lame excuse. When it comes to it, nobody really wants to die." a dark smile crept onto his face, "Frankly, I didn't know them well enough to be deeply affected, and that's what bothers me." The admiral sat down on the firm concrete, looking at where the sun would be, slightly below the horizon. "I don't really want to talk about it," he added, "but you shouldn't trouble yourself with it."

"Me? Those ships were full of strangers, why would it trouble me so? But very well, I won't ask." Error said. She paid the admiral a sharp glance, and was surprised when it was met with his own. This time, though, his gaze was exceptionally piercing, as if he had seen through her. Error quickly formed a small, mocking smile, "My, that suspicious gaze of yours can be scathing." she said, "But if you can glare at me with such ferocity, you _were_ deeply affected, after all. You just fail to realize it yourself." she said, returning her eyes to the distant horizon. "Something Inazuma said must've tipped you off. One thought leads to another, the dots connect, and then suspicion was born." she said, "Your thoughts, laid it bare, admiral. If what you thought is correct, then you must know how little time we have."

The admiral looked surprised, and shook his head, "Sorry for staring at you like that; I didn't mean to." he said, "And didn't I just say that I don't want to talk about it?" he said, a small smile on his face. "I don't think I've connected all the dots just yet, I'm not as sharp as you might think." he said.

Error was quiet, looking at him with a slightly surprised look. It quickly faded, though, as she returned to survey the seas. Her serious face faltered into a fragile one, knowing and guilty. "As you wish." she said.

Her face told him all he needed to know. His suspicions were true.

Error was the one who called for the expedition; the one who, should he perceive the Abyssal Fleet as a natural destructive force, sent hundreds of sailors to their deaths. It had been bothering him since he arrived at the island. When he came to, Error already had a ship, Inazuma, and the Compass. What prevented them from sailing on their own to Yokosuka? Why wait for the JMSDF to send an expedition that was sure to fail?

The answer, he thought out from what Inazuma told him last night. He had asked, "Why didn't Error became the admiral herself?"

A question Inazuma had trouble answering, not because she did not know, but because she was searching for the words. Words that would not make Error any less than the gentle, kind figure Inazuma saw her as. Inazuma was incarnated from the warship _IJN Inazuma_, but from what ship was Error incarnated from?

The question had no answer. If Inazuma was Inazuma, then Error was Error. A malfunction, a mistake. The admiral recalled the moment when they first met, "Let's see… my existence is kind of like a mistake, or a response to one." that was the line with which she introduced herself. Before this, he had simply thought it as another one of her witty lines. He had not expected that she meant it; literally.

Error was, as unbelievable as the man found it to be, the incarnation of a mistake. There was no clue regarding what mistake she came from, but it was an assumption made with evidence. The admiral had wondered why Error showed such disinterest in eating last night, when she had not eaten a thing since they first met. This point he was unsure on, but he suspected Error stayed up without sleep, spending the last night awake reading books in the library, a supposition betrayed by the lack of fatigue on her face as she gazed to the lit-up horizon beside him.

Error was an existence that supported herself through mistakes others made. Her name was as literal as it could be: an existence that nourishes herself through errors. Without them, she would perish. She had, perhaps, intended to sail forth to Yokosuka as soon as she was able, but that was the correct decision, where correct means the absence of mistakes to sustain herself on.

As such, she contacted an outside force. He conjectured that Error had contacted another Fleet girl through the compass. If Inazuma came with one, it was not unreasonable that another Fleet girl had a compass of her own, which Error could reach. She instructed the Fleet Girl to report herself to JMSDF, informing them of the Fleet Girl's existence, demonstrating their capabilities, and presenting a position from which one could command them.

The seat of the 'Admiral', which the man had been thrust upon by Error.

The man had wondered why JMSDF would risk using such a large force for a supposedly simple rescue operation. If the power to harness the Fleet Girls were the prize, it would definitely justify the resources they had put into the operation.

Yet the expedition failed. All ships involved were lost in action, utterly destroyed by an Abyssal task force encountered not even halfway to their destination. If Error had not rescued him and offered him the chance to become the admiral, there would've been no survivors. In the end, the entire expedition was a mistake, an _error_ of significant magnitude, one which cost many ships and all the hundreds of lives that crewed them, bar one.

Certainly, such an error would provide Error with a handsome amount of nourishment. To phrase what had happened in the coldest way possible, Error had sacrificed the lives of hundreds to extend her own. By how much he did not know. Perhaps it was justified. Perhaps Error was only trying to fulfill her duty, to select someone to become admiral, and without the sacrifice she wouldn't have been able to.

Whether what she did was the right thing or not, perhaps only Error knew the answer.

"The light of dawn is bright... as it was back then."

But, whatever the answer was, it wouldn't matter.

"Wake up."

A voice grinds his thoughts into a complete stop. It was then when he felt, the air stopped being cold, something had rained down upon his skin, imposing a layer of warmth. It washed away his doubts about the future and the past alike, bringing into his mind a tranquil quiet. Within the moment, his inner conflict regarding Error, the Abyssal Fleet and the future were dulled flat, leaving in its wake an unconstrained expanse and feeling of Zen. The cog in the machine had stopped once again, but this time, it was a pleasant, gentle pause.

"Open your eyes, this is a sight you must remember." said Error.

He did as she told, and his eyes immediately took in the light, brightly shining as it rose from the horizon. The skyline took a red-orange hue, and the sea a majestic pale yellow. The orb which illuminates all was bright, but gently so, not blinding nor scathing in its radiance. The waves of the sea, constantly crashing against the piers and the coast, reminded him of the ever-continuing present, to which the sun was merely a spectator. Upon those seas the ships shall freely sail once again.

Error was standing, having risen from her seat atop the mooring point. "Beautiful, isn't it? But does it escape your notice, admiral, how empty this scene is? That was not the impression this scenery was supposed to give." Error said, her expression containing a bright smile, "The vista of sunrise I saw back then, it had much more contained within. Back then, it contained sadness, and a crushing feeling of defeat, yet it was ever so fulfilling, unlike how it is right now." she said.

She jumped down, off the column onto the pier. When the admiral had just started to react, she approached the admiral ever so closely, as if embraced in an invisible cage. She leaned forward, yet her body made no contact. In an almost-whisper, she spoke, "What sort of scenery it would contain, it's up to you, admiral."

Error then stepped out from his personal space and pulled from her pocket the golden-rimmed compass, "That's enough romantics." She said, getting a small chuckle from the admiral, "It's high time to confirm your position as the admiral of the Fleet Girls. Give me your hand." Error instructed.

Soundlessly following her instructions, the admiral quickly felt the weight of the instrument on his hand, and the slight warmth of Error that was left within. The moment was without grandeur, as calm as the sea at that time, yet it felt like something beyond his imagination had begun to unfold. As the entirety of yesterday flashed back in his mind, the compass felt slightly heavier in his grasp.

He paid the compass a look, the magnetic needle pointing to its rightful orientation that is north. "I forgot to mention, if it's detecting nothing, it will work like a normal compass." She said, "I look forward to the day where it's no different from one, no matter where one sails." Error took a step back, an encouraging smile on her face.

The admiral, on the other hand, felt a tinge of sadness, "All those encouraging words are worrying me. Is your time up?" he asked.

A slight nod. "Looks like I've overstayed my welcome." She said. Her pale yellow sailor uniform were ruffled by the breeze, almost blending in within the dawn. Almost. Error then picked up the cat in, to admiral's surprise, a proper, cradling stance, "A sailor I met on the base told me that this is the proper way to hold the cat." she said, "I suppose he is correct." Error smiled.

He inspected error's stance for a while, before shaking his head lightly, "Well, in a way, he is. But you know, Error, I don't think Batsubyou hates being held the way he had always been." He said, "That erroneous way to hold a cat is more Error-like." He added.

"Well, old habits die hard, they say." Error said. She crouched and put Batsubyou down, only to pick him up the way she had always did, prompting the cat to emit a slightly confused meow, which was followed by a nod of approval from the admiral. Error gave a small laugh at the procession, "Well, it's been quite a ride. I look forward to the sea ten years from now."

The admiral quickly interjected, "Wait, Error, don't you want to say goodbye to Inazuma?"

"No need. And if there is, not enough time is left." Error said. She then walked past the admiral, her footsteps emitting less and less sound with each step, "Well, admiral, let me give you this unusual words of parting," Error turned around behind him, to find that her steps no longer register on the ground. Her voice a cross between a murmur and a whisper, she spoke once more:

"May we never meet again."

The admiral turned around, and found the lack of Error in it. As a refreshing breeze came from the sea, he found himself feeling a bit lonely, a bit sad, and a bit angry, all at once. "That girl really is a handful of trouble." A somber smile accompanied his words. The golden compass, now secure in his grasp, brilliantly reflects the light that shone upon it, reminding the admiral of the duty Error left with him. Life has resumed in the naval base.

In the distance, a sudden alarm rang, accompanied with shouts of waking and preparation. No doubt, the naval base is having an unexpected visit from a certain eccentric admiral. The man felt calmer than ever, taking in his surroundings before getting things in order. Miming Error, he activated the compass, "Inazuma, are you awake?" he asked, to which a slightly hazy Inazuma groaned, "Get ready and meet me down here, we have an important meeting."

After getting confirmation from Inazuma, the man put the compass into his pocket and righted his clothes. Wearing his admiral's cap, he walked with firm, ready steps.

It was the beginning of another long day.

**To be continued.**

* * *

><p>AN: Boom, chapter 2 after two months. Let's hope the next won't take three to complete. Still looking for that beta reader. Typo fixes inbound. Remember to review if you have the effort to spare, those kept me going.


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